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When we are talking about data recovery, let’s understand it with the help of a scenario. One fine day, you decided to declutter your computer by deleting the files that you think are no longer needed.
On browsing your Mac, you come across hundreds of redundant files, and instead of removing them one by one, you hit the Option + Command + Delete keys to delete them altogether.
Later while working on an ongoing project, you are trying to locate a file and realize that you have deleted it recently while decluttering your computer. That’s not the only file that you have deleted; there are several others that you require to complete your project.
What would you do in this situation? Sifting through the Trash folder will not help locate or restore the file as the hotkeys deleted data permanently.
Don’t worry; you are not alone. In the digital era, that’s normal and happens to a lot of users. You can recover your data from MacBook Pro quite efficiently whether or not you have a backup.
Restore Data from iCloud Backup
Before you start looking for a professional app to recover and restore data on your MacBook, consider using Apple’s native methods. Visit iCloud.com and sign in using your Apple ID. Scroll down to the bottom of the window and click on the Restore Files option.
A window will appear with the details of recently deleted files. Locate the files that you need to restore on your MacBook and tap Restore.
Restoring files from an iCloud backup is easy. An additional tip that will help you locate the files efficiently is to sort the files by name, date, or size. The process to restore data from the iCloud backup can be slow, but it will restore the deleted data in the original structure and format.
Removing unnecessary data from the MacBook will enable only important files to sync with iCloud, which will save a lot of space. So, next time you backup data to iCloud, make sure to delete all the junk and duplicates stored on the other storage.
Over time, the temporary files, junk, and cache start accumulating on the other storage on your Mac computer. Read a blog post to learn the potential ways to clean other storage on macOS, as it will help optimize the backup process.
Restore Data on Intel MacBook Pro
On your Intel-based MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, utilize the in-built macOS Recovery utility for data recovery from Time Machine backup. Apart from accidental deletion, logical corruption can be another reason for data loss.
To access the macOS Recovery utility, reboot your MacBook Pro. Press and hold down Command + R keys when your computer reboots and wait for the Apple logo to appear. Enter your login and password credentials, if required.
If you have multiple drives installed on the MacBook, select the drive you want to recover data from and hit Enter. Alternatively, sign up to the admin account and click Continue.
Now when you have entered macOS Recovery, you must restore data from Time Machine backup. To do this, select the Restore From Time Machine Backup option in the macOS utility window, and click Continue. Click on Continue again to proceed.
Select the most recent version of the Time Machine backup and click Continue. By doing this, you will recover your MacBook on top of files existing currently on the device.
If you have added any additional data after the instance of decluttering the files, you need to copy that data to an external media.
If the startup disk has a logical error, you need to select the Disk Utility option in the macOS utility window to repair the disk.
Restore Data on Apple M1 MacBook Pro
Apple’s latest MacBook Pro comes with an M1 silicon processor. The steps to recover data from the Time Machine Backup are the same as that of Intel-powered MacBooks. However, the steps to get to the macOS Recovery window are different.
Click on the Apple menu and select Shut Down. Next, press the Power key and keep holding it until you see Loading startup options. Then select Options and click Continue.
You may need to provide the administrator account credentials to proceed further. Next, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.
macOS Recovery window will appear; follow the steps mentioned in the Intel-based MacBooks section to recover data from Time Machine backup on M1-powered MacBooks.
Why is Backup Important?
By now, you must have realized the importance of backup. You can restore data on the computer only when a backup is available. So, make sure to set up the Time Machine backup so that you can easily restore data if any file turns corrupt or is deleted accidentally from your Mac computer.
If you do not have a backup, you will have to spend additionally on professional data recovery. The tool you select may or may not help in data recovery and restoration.
Moreover, the third-party tools have their own compatibility and functionality challenges, so make sure you have a native backup available.
